A review by jenni_elyse
Persuasion by Jane Austen

3.0

I read Persuasion for book club this month. I was woefully behind, though, because I was classicked out from just having read North and South. I’m glad I kept at it, though, as I did enjoy Persuasion in the end.

I have a hard time reviewing classics because I’m always afraid I’m going to be looked down on for my views. I don’t love classics like I love other books. They’re hard for me. I have a hard time following the language. I can usually start to understand it better as I continue to read, but I still struggle. And, it takes me about an hour just to read 6-10 pages. It’s work and I don’t like reading for work. I like reading for enjoyment. But, I keep reading classics (and other hard books) because I know I should and I know I’ll be rewarded in the end. Plus, I want to know why they’re worth their salt and follow allusions made to them. I don’t always understand the reasons a classic is so beloved, but at least I’m becoming more well-rounded. I digress.

I didn’t really care for any of the characters, except Anne and Captain Wentworth. I hated Anne’s family from the beginning, especially Mary. Even though Mary paid more attention to Anne than anyone, her personality grated on my nerves, even more so than Mrs. Bennett who’s one of my all-time least favorite characters. I liked the Musgroves okay, but I wasn’t really attached to them. And, Louisa bugged me. I mean, come on, who really suffers a concussion that completely alters oneself just from a fall being jumped down the stairs? That was the most idiotic thing I think I’ve ever read in my life! Seriously!

It wasn’t until Anne went to Bath that I really started to enjoy the story in Persuasion, well beyond the halfway mark. At that point, I started to want to read more than a chapter at a time and wanted to know how things ended. The story really got interesting with the introduction of Mr. Eliot, even though I didn’t really like him. (I was suspicious of him like Anne was.) The little bit of a love triangle in the story surprisingly didn’t bother me because it made the story more interesting. I loved Captain Wentworth’s letter at the end. It was, by far, my favorite part of the whole book.

In the end, I didn’t love Persuasion; I just liked it. As I said previously, I am glad I decided to finish it.